is the popular name given to the Spanish University Admission Tests ("", E.v.A.U.), a non-compulsory exam taken by students after secondary school, necessary to get into
University
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
. Students must take six 90-minute written exams over three days in June or September, consisting of common and specific subjects taken in "" (the last two non-compulsory years of secondary education). exams are set by the Public Universities of each
autonomous community
eu, autonomia erkidegoa
ca, comunitat autònoma
gl, comunidade autónoma
oc, comunautat autonòma
an, comunidat autonoma
ast, comunidá autónoma
, alt_name =
, map =
, category = Autonomous administra ...
and allow students access to the Spanish university system.
Subjects (before 2009)
Common Subjects
# Spanish language and literature
# First foreign language (mainly English, non oral, rarely French, German, Italian or Portuguese)
# History of Spain
#
Galician,
Catalan
Catalan may refer to:
Catalonia
From, or related to Catalonia:
* Catalan language, a Romance language
* Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia
Places
* 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...
or
Valencian
Valencian () or Valencian language () is the official, historical and traditional name used in the Valencian Community (Spain), and unofficially in the Carche, El Carche comarca in Región de Murcia, Murcia (Spain), to refer to the Romance lan ...
and
Basque
Basque may refer to:
* Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France
* Basque language, their language
Places
* Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France
* Basque Country (autonomous co ...
are also common subjects in Galicia; Catalonia and Balearic Islands, Valencia; and the Basque Country, respectively.
Selectividad or Scholastic Aptitude Test is accepted by USA universities if accompanied by TOEFL English exam.
Specific Subjects
Arts:
# Artistic Drawing
# History of Art
# Choose between Graphic Expression Techniques or Image
Humanities:
# Latin
# History of Art
# Choose between: Ancient Greek, Geography, History of Music, Catalan / Spanish Literature or History of Philosophy
Social Sciences:
# Applied Mathematics
# Economy and Business Administration
# Geography
Sciences and Engineering:
# Physics
# Mathematics
# Choose between: Chemistry, Technical Drawing, Industrial Technology, Electrotechnics or Mechanics
Nature Sciences:
# Chemistry
# Biology
# Choose between: Mathematics, Physics or Environmental Sciences
Mathematics is compulsory for all sciences options
Since 2010
In 2009/2010, Selectividad exams changed. Now, these exams have two parts:
Common part
Everybody has to do this part, and it consists in 4 compulsory tests (5 in case of
Galicia,
Catalonia
Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy.
Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...
,
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
,
the Basque Country and
Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands ( es, Islas Baleares ; or ca, Illes Balears ) are an archipelago in the Balearic Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago is an autonomous community and a province of Spain; its capital is ...
)
# First foreign language (English, French, Italian, German or Portuguese)
# History of Spain or History of philosophy (must take History of Spain since 2018)
# Spanish Language and Literature.
#
Galician,
Catalan
Catalan may refer to:
Catalonia
From, or related to Catalonia:
* Catalan language, a Romance language
* Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia
Places
* 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...
,
Valencian
Valencian () or Valencian language () is the official, historical and traditional name used in the Valencian Community (Spain), and unofficially in the Carche, El Carche comarca in Región de Murcia, Murcia (Spain), to refer to the Romance lan ...
and
Basque
Basque may refer to:
* Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France
* Basque language, their language
Places
* Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France
* Basque Country (autonomous co ...
are also common subjects in Galicia; Catalonia and Balearic Islands, Valencia; and the Basque Country, respectively
# A subject from your specific "''Bachillerato''"
Specific part
In this part the students can choose between 2 and 4 subjects (whatever you want depending on your specific "''Bachillerato''" and the specific weights published by each university) and can obtain a maximum of 4 extra points.
The exam
Exams usually have four (like Technical Drawing) or five (like Physics) questions or problems in science-focused subjects. Other subjects, such as Spanish Language and Literature or History of Philosophy consist on a text which requires a writing task about it, theory questions and vocabulary.
Every exam has two different options, A and B. The student must choose one and answer every question on that option. For some areas, like Physics or Chemistry, a table with constants (like Gravity Constant or Avogradro Number) is given. In "Matemáticas orientadas a las Ciencias Sociales" (Applied Math) a table with the standard deviation is given.
Students can carry different materials depending on the exam:
* A ruler, a set of
triangles
A triangle is a polygon with three edges and three vertices. It is one of the basic shapes in geometry. A triangle with vertices ''A'', ''B'', and ''C'' is denoted \triangle ABC.
In Euclidean geometry, any three points, when non-collinear ...
and a compass for Technical Drawing.
* A scientific, non-graphic, non-programmable calculator for Mathematics, Applied Math, Physics, Chemistry, Economics, and Industrial Technology.
* Latin Dictionary for the Latin Exam.
Grading
With the new Selectividad exam, the final mark is no longer the average score of the six exams taken. Now, the four marks achieved in the Common Part are taken and an average score up to 10 points is given. Then, each University establishes different parameters for the other subjects taken in the Specific Part.
For example, a student who took Spanish, English, History and Math got an average score of 8.55. Then they took Physics and Chemistry exams, and got a 9 and a 7. They want to study Architecture, and the University they want to study at considers Physics more important than Chemistry at that degree, so their 9 will turn into 1.8 additional points (9*0.2) and Chemistry in 0.7 more points (7*0.1). The final score will be 8.55+1.8+0.7=11.05 out of 14 points possible.
Other example: another student gets a 9 in the Common Part, and then she takes Economics and Physics. She will finally study Law, so her Physics score will likely not to have effect in her final score, but Economics will be awarded with a 0.15 or 0.20 multiplier.
The mark in the Common Part lasts forever, but the one in the Specific Part needs to be renewed after two years if needed.
Grade = (g.p.a in Bachillerato * 0.6) + (arithmetic mean of the grades obtained in the general part * 0.4) + (Specific part Exam I * a) + (Specific part Exam II * b)
Where a and b are the weight (0, 0.1 or 0.2) of that specific test for the course and university you are applying for. The maximum grade is therefore 14.
External links
SelectividadOnline: information about selectividad, examinations, statistics, dates, inscription, notes, quizs, news, universities,...an
Contents for the selectivity exam preparation. The pass to the University
{{Admission tests
Standardized tests
Education in Spain